Woodall Mountain, Mississippi 806 feet

Climbed 11/15/2016

Woodall Mountain is a monadnock, or a hill with a cap of rock that is more resistant to erosion than the surrounding land. We visited in the fall when the turning leaves complemented the reddish brown of the iron-rich sandstone.

The colorful summit road

The summit marker tells the story of the Battle of Iuka during the Civil War. On September 19, 1862, the Union Army of the Mississippi fought a fierce and bloody battle near the base of Woodall Mountain. "Because of the wide views afforded at the summit, it is likely that Woodall Mountain was used as an observation post by both armies." Wide views? Only if they cut down all the trees or climbed the telecommunications tower.

The bloodiest U.S. highpoint, our 41st

After lunch at the quaint Cafe Memories in downtown Iuka, we drove west toward Memphis, recreating the common mid-century migration of rural families who headed to the city for work. When we reached Memphis, we visited the home of one of those transplanted Mississippi families, the Presleys.

Graceland

During our time in music-rich Memphis, we also visited the Sun and Stax Studios and saw a show from the King of Beale Street Preston Shannon at B.B. King's Blues Club. We stopped by to watch the Peabody Ducks head upstairs and strolled through the Red Grooms exhibit at the Brooks Museum. By far the most impressive attraction, though, was the National Museum of Civil Rights. This informative and moving museum is located at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. I highly recommend it.

The Lorraine Motel